Trending Topics

Aggravated assault suspect bites Tenn. officer, attempts to choke K-9 before arrest

After a Memphis Police Department K-9 caught up with and bit the fleeing suspect, he tried to use the K-9’s chain collar to choke the dog

Tyre Nichols

A patch of the Memphis Police Department is seen during a meeting of the Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission Thursday, May 18, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

George Walker IV/AP

By Natalie Demaree
The Charlotte Observer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Attempting to get away from law enforcement, a 31-year-old man bit an officer and choked a K-9, Tennessee police said.

A K-9 was called around 5:40 p.m. on Oct. 20 to help officers locate Tommie Williams, who jumped a fence and ran into the woods behind a church in Memphis while trying to evade arrest, the Memphis Police Department said in a news release shared with McClatchy News.

Williams had a warrant from Mississippi for aggravated assault, according to the release.

Police said he continued to be non-compliant after the K-9 tracked him down. The dog then bit him twice on his right arm.

Williams then grabbed the K-9 by his chain collar and started choking the dog, officers said. When an officer tried to intervene, Williams bit the officer’s hand.

Officers arrested Williams and took him to a hospital in non-critical condition.

He is charged with two counts of assault against a first responder, evading arrest on foot and resisting official detention, police said.

Williams was released Oct. 21 on a $7,500 bond and is set to appear in court Oct. 23, according to police records.

©2024 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
The suspect, a known felon with outstanding warrants, fired at Maricopa police before officers returned fire and a detective struck him with a cruiser
The Hanceville Police force is on leave as the town meets to determine whether to restaff it following an investigation that found rampant mishandling of evidence and other issues
Study seeks insights into how fear of retaliation influences officers’ decisions to report internal issues
Former Fairfax County police sergeant Wesley Shifflett was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting but found guilty of reckless firearm use